1. Utilize school time

The best way to minimize the amount of time spent on homework at home is to do as much as you can at school. If you have an SRT, use it to do tomorrow’s work. But even if you don’t have a free period, you can still find time to do your homework if you strive to be proactive. For example, if you get to class early, you can probably get at least a page or two of active reading done before the bell. If you finish a test early, whip out one of the many assignments you get daily and finish it quickly with minimum effort. If you’re already at school, you might as well use every minute to your advantage. It’s one less thing to worry about when you get home. By doing this, you’ll be able to keep up with your school work and relax when you come home after a long, tiring day.

2. Form positive relationships with teachers

Teachers are people who choose to spend their lives attempting to educate tired, hormonal teenagers, so cut them some slack. Be nice. Find ways to compliment your teachers, and always laugh at their jokes. Just knowing the teacher likes you makes the class so much more enjoyable and way less stressful. Forming a good relationship will make the year easier on both of you.

3. Actually do your homework

Usually, the homework people neglect to turn in is the easiest to complete, but the biggest waste of time. I’m talking about the handouts teachers give you so they can put some points into the grade book. A lot of it is completely arbitrary, but completing it will pay off in the end. It will give you a nice cushion on Powerschool and get you into your teachers’ good books.

4. Give yourself a break

Once you get home from school, set aside time for yourself to do whatever it is you want to do. For me that means Netflix, but it’s different for everyone. Promise yourself that you’re not going to worry about anything else during your allotted time and just relax. I’m not telling you to procrastinate doing your homework, but instead set aside time for any work you need to get done. Just knowing that there’s a time for that will help you stop thinking about it in the present. Make yourself stop thinking about school. Just don’t allow it. Because there’s a time for that and it’s not now. Give yourself a break.

5. Realize that high school isn’t everything

High school is just four years. Although it seems now like it’s going to determine the rest of your life, that’s most likely not true. Your life is just beginning, and high school is just going to be a tiny part of the big picture. When you’re overwhelmed by the stress of everything around you, just think about where you’ll be in a year or in 10 years. You won’t care about a silly little project on which you didn’t spend enough time. Things will be different, and high school will hardly matter. So just think about the big picture, because high school is only a small fraction of it.